Case-mix system can boost hospital efficiency.

(From New Straits Times (Malaysia))

WITH an increasing aging population and the rapid advancement in medical knowledge and technology, the demand for and the cost of health care is rising.

The cost is reflected in the Ministry of Health's budget over a 20-year period: In 1983, it was RM1 billion and it rose to RM7.6 billion in 2003.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the ability of the Government to bear this increment was limited.

The best approach in dealing with the increase in cost was by introducing an efficient healthcare financing scheme.

"An effective and efficient health care system will result in good services …